Falling From The Skies
by The Quintessential Author
Summary: As Hawke begins a third invasion, the COs fall back against his overwhelming strength. But why has he invaded so suddenly? And what is his obsession with a certain CO? Chapter 2: Sami interrogates her attacker, and Eagle and Jess meet in Green Earth...
1. The Calm

Greetings and welcome to what might be the most ambitious Advance Wars fanfic project yet. I'm your current host, MesanShade. Spawned from the genius of Foulds, this is a joint fic featuring myself, Keeper of the Scarf, Genocideking Archfiend, Christianneoplayer, and the great Mr. Foulds himself. This chapter features myself and Foulds' writing. 

Hey y'all, Foulds here. I would just like to say that I am honoured to be able to work alongside such talented people, and I'd like to wish y'all well. I would also strongly recommend that you check out the AW forum we have set up, as itwill from now onprovide you with behind the scenes gossip and analysis of Falling From The Skies, as well as the latest news from the authors. It's a livejournal community used for any AW fic related discussion, and can be found at the address set as homepage for this author. Foulds. 

Disclaimer: Advance Wars and its content is copyright Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.

* * *

He strode through corridors of grey and cracked concrete, his pace slow, calm, controlled. Hawke was, as usual, the height of self-control, unemotional, the persona that had scared so many. Under the facade though, unease was roiling like a Cometan monsoon. 

'_What's said is said, and cannot be changed. We must prepare for what lies ahead.'_

The blandness of his surroundings swirled around him as he became ever more detached, his mind running through what he had just heard. Plans, predictions, strategies all ran through his head as he came to a steel door, heavy and rusted. He looked back behind him, down the long, featureless corridor. At the other end, a faint blue light could be seen through the sliver of a closing door, shimmering faintly. Hawke allowed himself a resigned sigh as the light was cut off.

'_What's done is done, and cannot be undone.'_

He produced a security passcard, swiped it through a terminal, and after a click from the lock, opened the door. Another corridor greeted him, with more doors branching off to different areas of the structure. He resumed his orderly, authoritative stride, the steel of the doors glinting on either side of him.

'Maintenance.'

'Security Station Phi.'

'Research and Development C.'

'Officer's Quarters.'

'Central Command.'

Hawke's eyes glanced at the sign on this door, his movement halted mid-stride.

'_Should I tell them?'_

A pause. Hawke looked thoughtful, the slight traces of it flickering on his face.

'_No. Not yet. We need more time for any...developments.'_

He turned, any hesitation he may have given away dispelled. He began walking again. And again, the thoughts came back, swirling around and around. Hawke was troubled by these concerns – he had never experienced such disturbing thoughts. The walls he had built up against his feelings was defenceless. The structure around him became a blur again as his train of thought consumed him.

'_Was it true?'_

'_...It has to be...'_

'_Is it fate? Or should we have seen this coming?'_

'_Should I...we...act?'_

'_Not yet. Not yet.'_

Another door greeted his grey, impassive eyes.

'Main Entrance.'

'_For now though...other matters must be attended to.'_

He swiped his passcard again, opened the door, and entered the main entrance. His eyes roved over the large, almost hotel lobby-like room. Various soldiers and staff were busy doing their jobs, either patrolling the entrance doors, or slaving away on computers. The few nearest to the commander's private entrance door saluted stiffly. Hawke waved them away, walked briskly to the double doors, and left the building. Walking along the wide, rough dirt path, he looked at the large sign to his right, decorated with large, blood red letters.

'BLACK HOLE CENTRAL COMMAND BUNKER.'

Hawke smiled. Coldly. Maliciously.

"What's done is done, and what will be done..._must_ be done."

* * *

The expansive chamber was filled with the gentle murmur of jovial conversation, rising over the quiet background music of a piano player. Groups of men in suits laughed and raised their crystal champagne glasses. The light from the glittering chandelier played around the room, dancing across the decorative marble pillars, tall windows and detailed mosaic floor, which was a rendering of the Orange Star flag. The walls were covered with small alcoves; viewing platforms for when dancing competitions were held. 

Leaning back in a corner, and feeling completely out of place, was Sami. She glanced bitterly at Nell, who had decided to attend the event in her regular purple suit. Squirming slightly, Sami looked down at herself feeling frustrated and uncomfortable.

The Orange Star CO glanced to her right, and smiled at Max, who stood beside her in awkward silence, wearing a formal dinner jacket. He was fidgeting with his cufflinks, which were still, two hours after he had first refused Sami's help, on backwards. Reminded that she wasn't completely alone, she simply repeated the same point she had been making all evening, speaking slowly to emphasise every word,

"I don't do dresses. They are impractical. They are uncomfortable. Why couldn't I just wear what I always do?"

Max smiled sympathetically, clearly not used to his suit either, but he made no reply.. Sami, wearing a long black dress that left only her shoulders and arms uncovered, indifferently observed the crowd. There were generals, politicians, intelligence officers, sub commanders, and many others Sami didn't recognise. Tonight was a special event. It was exactly one year since Hawke had withdrawn after Sturm's death. The COs were expected to attend, though they had no real reason to. In peace time, COs led training exercises and little else.

Sami noticed Andy by the buffet, where he had been almost all evening. This was a good thing, given that throughout the journey here he had been making jokes about how Eagle would like to see her in a dress. She couldn't see Hachi anywhere.. Like most times, he was probably working hard behind the scenes. Nell was engaged in a conversation with a group of politicians. As Commander in Chief, she dealt with their sort a lot more.

Sami turned and stared out of the window. The final glow of the setting sun leant a red hue to the clear evening sky. Forests surrounded the area, so Sami saw only the dark shape of the trees swaying in the wind, black outlines against the beautiful red sky.

She sighed. All the noise was giving her a headache. Did everyone really have to keep tapping their glasses together? The sound was slowly driving her crazy.

Sami froze. Something had just clicked in the back of her mind. Something very familiar, but she couldn't figure out what…

_Click…_

Sami's mouth dropped open with a gasp as the sickeningly familiar noise reached her ears. She dived to her right, knocking Max and herself to the ground, just as a deafening crack exploded through the hall.

The sniper's bullet smashed into the wall, tearing through the concrete with ease, just missing Sami as she dived to the floor. As Max sprung to his feet and the civilians started running for the exits, Sami, still on the floor, spun round to look at where she had been standing. The shot had been aimed at her head.

Leaping up and running rapidly for cover, her eyes darted around the viewing platforms. She saw him at once. A single sniper, almost concealed in the shadows, was scanning the room, trying to spot his target in the crowd. He hadn't counted on Sami, as an infantry specialist, knowing the exact sound a sniper rifle made when you loaded it.

A second later, the assassin gave up, dropping the rifle and slipping silently out into the corridor behind him. Sami stayed calm and ran for the nearest exit. Orange Star soldiers were pouring in now. The CO grasped the rifle of one of the infantry and wrenched it from his hands. She charged for the nearest stairwell, leaving Max calling after her, still unsure what had happened.

A few soldiers noticed Sami disappear into the stairwell and sprinted after her as she darted to the upper levels. She yelled back to them,

"Set up a perimeter! Nobody leaves the area!"

The clatter of rapid footsteps of the metal flight of steps echoed down through the grubby functional stairwell. This was how maintenance people and kitchen staff moved around the building during formal events. Sami flew up the stairwell, every step of the way furiously muttering about dresses. She heard a door being kicked open, and then the howling wind whistled around her. He was on the roof. Sami, clutching her assault rifle tightly, was alone now, as the soldiers had left to set up the perimeter that she had ordered.

As she leapt up the last few steps, she evaluated the situation. It was a fair bet that Black Hole was behind this. But a single sniper was hardly was their style. And their troops never retreated. Sami knew only too well that they fought to the last man. She put this to the back of her mind for the moment as she burst through the door, which was swinging back and forth in the strong wind.

Flicking her eyes over the roof, she saw the assassin sprinting away from her. The top of the memorial building was flat, and there was no cover. Sami followed him, rifle raised, but not firing. There was no escape, and she wanted to ask this person a few questions. The roof ended with a five storey drop onto a concrete courtyard, which was filled with her troops. Surrounding the courtyard was a small security wall, which was mainly to keep out the animals that frequented the forests. Sami smiled as the man ran onwards, dashing towards a dead end.

She frowned as he kept running towards the gap. In fact, he was breaking into a sprint.. Sami realised what was happening a moment too late, and before she could fire, the assassin threw himself off the roof, soared through the air, and cleared the security wall, flying over the oblivious troops below, and disappearing into the dark forest.

Sami, stepping up her tirade of abuse against the black dress, took a deep breath and charged as fast as she could, striving to speed up. She launched herself from the building, raced towards the wall, and just made it over, scraping her legs on the coarse stone in the process.

Sami landed roughly, and her legs were bleeding, but she didn't care. She was up in a second and bolting through the undergrowth. The light was already almost gone, and under the cover of the forest, she was running blind, only following the sound of something fleeing her. The assassin, who she still hadn't had a good look at, knew he was being followed.

For a second she saw something move in front of her. Without hesitation, she opened fire into the dense overgrown forest. A man's pained scream rang out through the cool evening air. Sami charged into a small clearing, and saw a figure trying to rise while clutching their thigh. Sami lashed out with a fierce kick to their chest, knocking them back down. In the darkness, she couldn't make out any details, but there was no helmet, and no Black Hole insignia was obvious. Pointing the rifle at his chest, she quietly warned him,

"Don't move"

Sami stood, breathing deeply, a thousand questions suddenly racing through her mind, as the rustling of approaching Orange Star soldiers became louder.

* * *

_Well, there we go. I hope you got loads of positive comments/questions to ask, so go ahead and review!_

_(A blatant request for reviews. Sorry.)  
_

_Oh, and Foulds is still wishing y'all well. Foulds and Scarf will be writing Chapter 2, so keep a look out for it!_

_Wishing you all a good night,_

_MesanShade._


	2. Reflections

Hey y'all, and welcome back to Falling from the Skies. This is Foulds speaking, and I have taken control for the moment. I'd just like to say that when I came up with the idea of a joint project, I never expected it to come together so quickly. I am honoured to have worked alongside Mesanshade last chapter, and Keeperofthescarf in this chapter.

Scarf himself is unavailable for comment, but I'm sure he loves y'all dearly.

Anyway, read, enjoy, and review!

All the best, Jon Foulds

Sami stood in the darkened room, considering the assassin in front of her in pensive silence. For his part, he was staring back at her, meeting her stare with a piercing gaze and cold deliberation, with the ghost of a smile playing across his lips. The most disturbing thing was how he looked straight at her, even though he was only looking at a reflection, thanks to the two-way mirror in the interrogation room of Orange Star's regional HQ. Somehow he knew that Sami was right there.

The assassin sat in a featureless cell, calmly sitting on a scratched plastic chair, which was in front of a battered wooden table; some prisoners were less composed than the room's present occupant. The cell was made entirely of concrete, except for the two-way mirror and an iron door. Sami's room was far smaller, and was mainly filled with recording equipment. Nell sat behind Sami, writing up the official report.

The assassination attempt had occurred yesterday evening, and it was now mid afternoon, though nobody could tell in Orange Star's underground prison complex. Sami, now wearing her casual clothes, turned away from him and picked up a small clipboard, covered with tiny notes by various intel officers and weapons experts. It was a list of the equipment they had found on the assassin, who had stayed silent since his capture.

Her eyes flicked over the list for the fifth time, again utterly confused by it. A powerful handgun used by the officers of Blue Moon and Yellow Comet, except with a laser targeting sight attached. A throwing knife from Green Earth's illegal underground arms trade, normally used by gangsters. Grenades that Orange Star's weapon testing engineers had never seen before.

Sami glanced back up at him. He was no ordinary infantryman. Of course, Orange Star had their own sniper rifles, grenades and throwing knives, but they didn't get used in real combat. It took so long to train a sniper that it wasn't worth the time and effort. Grenades had a habit of doing as much damage to your own army as to the enemy. Knives were just gratuitously brutal. Whoever this guy was, he was good. It took years to master any single one of these weapons. If Black Hole had trained soldiers like this, then the alliance could be in serious danger. Sami shuddered at how close that bullet had been. The red-haired CO turned to Nell, who was sitting behind her,

"Any word on who he is yet?"

"He doesn't match any records. The other nations checked his details too, and nothing showed up. He must be Black Hole"

"Could there be any mistake?"

"I doubt it"

Sami remained silent. She had a thought in mind, but she wouldn't tell Nell. Sami couldn't help but wonder if maybe he wasn't from Black Hole. A Black Hole elite tactical force was unheard of. Anyway, Sturm threw everything he had at the alliance in the final battle. If Black Hole had possessed peerless special forces at that point, then they would have been deployed to protect the missile platform. A year ago, Black Hole had no special forces. And yet now, Hawke had a soldier whose skills must have taken a decade to perfect. It didn't add up.

Sami looked over his attire; yet another piece of the puzzle. As she had suspected when she first saw him yesterday evening, there was no Black Hole insignia, or any other markings to give an indication of his allegiance. He was, however, kitted out in the best equipment available, and his attire was far superior to any standard issue Orange Star kit. This was the sort of gear that Sami would supply all of her troops with, if she was given an endless supply of money.

Grey combat fatigues covered most of his body. Over this attire, he wore charcoal-coloured body armour, which covered his torso, and a dull grey neck guard. Light blue armour protected his shoulders and upper arms. Several holsters, pockets and clips were tied to his thigh. Every last piece of combat gear fitted him perfectly. More importantly, it was, for all its strength, lightweight, and wouldn't hinder him at all. A bandage was wrapped around his leg where Sami had shot him, but it had only been a flesh wound, and he would recover within a week. One thing especially stood out. He had tied two rags around his right shoulder; one yellow, and the other orange.

Sami turned back to Nell, and spoke slowly,

"I want to interrogate him myself"

Nell paused for a long time, before sighing,

"Be careful"

Sami nodded and strolled from the small observation room into a dingy hallway. They were on the very bottom floor of the HQ, so it was purely functional. She checked her rifle was loaded, and then unlocked the door, stepping through, and stayed standing, with her weapon raised.

The man casually looked round at her, seeming distinctly unimpressed. His head was uncovered, and his short brown hair fell neatly back. He was probably about thirty. Sami had learnt to roughly evaluate people's fitness on sight, and she instantly knew that he was very well trained. His blue eyes were dim, and yet there was the slightest gleam of sapphire, as if they had once shone with life, but it had long since faded. He spoke first, very plainly,

"Good afternoon Sami"

"Who are you?"

He smiled, and tilted his head in amusement,

"That's not the question you want to ask"

She glared at him bitterly. It was as if they had just met. He didn't seem to care that he had tried to kill her. She replied,

"Who are you working for?"

"Now there's the question. Isn't it hard when we're not colour coded?"

"Don't play games with me. Do you any idea what we could do to you for your assassination attempt?"

"If it's anything less than the death penalty then I'm not interested"

"Where are you from? Why did you try to kill me?"

"Oh Sami, don't take it personally. Everyone always seems to be trying to kill everyone else. That's just the way things are"

"You're working for Black Hole"

He laughed at this, a cold and bitter laugh, and then replied,

"No, not at all. Come now Sami, I'm sure you can work it out. Anomalous weaponry with illegal modifications. Superior body armour with slight customisation. Highly specialised skills. Working alone. Assassination. What am I?"

Sami would have hit her head against the wall, but didn't want to show any weakness to the assassin. It was so obvious,

"You're a mercenary"

"Exactly"

"Who hired you?"

"I don't know"

"Don't play dumb with me"

"Oh Sami, do think for a moment" he said admonishingly, "You're alive, and so I'm not getting paid. Therefore, I have no obligation to my employer. In fact, I will do everything in my power to try and secure a pardon. If I knew who hired me, I'd say"

"Tell me what you know"

"I was hired on Moji island by an anonymous agent. I have no idea who it was. All I know is that they were willing to pay a huge amount if I could infiltrate that party and carry out an assassination"

"Why did your employer want you to kill Orange Star's COs?"

"Not Orange Star COs, Sami. They wanted you dead, and only you"

Sami paused for a long time. She always tried to stay cool, but suddenly felt very alone and scared,

"You were armed when we captured you. If you wanted me dead, why didn't you turn and fight?"

"I didn't know it was you following me"

"Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter. I left my name behind a long time ago"

Sami left without another word, and sealed the door behind her. She quickly walked back into the observation room,

"Nell"

"I heard. This is very serious"

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. Sami, given the circumstances, I think it might be better if you were to lie low for a while"

"Nell, I have to help with the investigation!"

"I'm sorry Sami, but as your superior, I am temporarily relieving you of all duties, and placing you on a compulsory vacation. You can stay out of sight on the south coast"

"But Nell…"

"Please Sami. You have to understand this is for your own good. If somebody wants you dead then I can't take any risks. Until we can solve this mystery, we must keep you safe"

Sami didn't reply. She knew Nell was right. The pair left the observation area, heading towards the briefing room. The assassin stared ever onwards, meeting the gaze of his own reflection.

* * *

Jess walked slowly up the steps of the abandoned grand staircase, her dress uniform still sparkling in the last rays of sunlight let in through the windows. A lone figure stood on the balcony, holding a small package out in front of him in his left hand. He didn't turn around, even though Jess' shoes clicked smartly on the marble floor as she approached him. 

"Eagle, what are you doing?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer. Eagle slowly turned around to face her, a guilty look on his face for a moment, and an unlit cigarette between the fingers of his right hand.

"What does it look like, Red? Do you have a light? I don't suppose there's one built in to that petrol tank you always haul around." Jess took the cigarette from his hand with a reproaching look.

"Eagle, you quit five years ago."

"After a night like that, I need something to calm my nerves, and there aren't any free fighters to fly at the moment."

"The Great Eagle is anxious after a bullet or two? You've been shot at thousands of times, and this time, you weren't even the target."

"Sami was." He stopped for a moment, staring off the balcony into the skies. "If she hadn't been so quick..." He trailed off, seemingly unable to finish the sentence.

"But she was quick, Eagle, so what are you worrying about now?"

"Worry?" Eagle's face hardened. "Now it's rage that I'm trying to control, when I think about what's going to happen now. Black Hole is going to suffer for this." Jess realized Eagle was shaking from anger.

"Calm down, Eagle. Remember the last time you went on a crusade of revenge? You nearly ended up killing Andy, Max, and Sami, because Sturm was able to manipulate your emotions."

"Now Black Hole is trying to get them killed again, and I'll see to it that Hawke knows an attack on one of us is an attack on us all."

"What are you going to do, mobilize the entire air force and bomb one of Hawke's bases into oblivion?"

"His palace sounds like a good place to start."

"Sure, just breeze past the anti-airs and the missile sites and his elite squadron."

"My pilots can do it without breaking a sweat."

"Even your ego knows you'd take heavy casualties. What if a dozen pilots die in the run? Are the lives of our soldiers worth avenging an attempt, just an attempt, on Sami's life?" Eagle didn't respond. "Green Earth is what really matters, what's really worth fighting for," she continued. "Each one of us is going to die eventually, so the only thing any of us can do is try to protect our homeland. We make a few stupid decisions when we're angry, and we throw away hundreds of years of our history by getting ourselves conquered. Our nation has to come first, even if that means that our friends and allies are forsaken."

"Would you sacrifice Sami without a second thought, just for the safety of Green Earth?" Eagle asked softly, his voice full of bitterness.

"Not without a second thought, but yes, I'd do it. Wouldn't you?" Again Eagle did not respond. "Wouldn't you?" Jess repeated. Eagle turned to watch the stars,

"I'll make sure I never have to make that choice, Jess." He walked back towards the staircase. "Let's go find the others."


End file.
